Bar feeder, feed rod vibration prevention support of material feeder and vibration stopper of material feeder

ABSTRACT

A feed rod vibration prevention support of a material feeder includes a guide device for guiding a feed rod moving to feed a material to a working machine, and a vibration attenuation mechanism for preventing the feed rod from being vibrated. The guide device further includes a guide and a bush supported by the guide having a feed rod placed thereon. The vibration attenuation mechanism includes a first elastic material located between the bush and the guide. The bush is provided with a flanged portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Applications No. 2006-288987 filed on Oct. 24, 2006, No.2006-290759 filed on Oct. 26, 2006 and No. 2006-296238 filed on Oct. 31,2006; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a bar feeder for feeding a bar material to aworking machine such as lathe, to a feed rod vibration preventionsupport in a material feeder, and to a vibration stopper of the materialfeeder.

2. Related Art

A bar feeder of a related art includes a structure having a feed rodpassing through a guide pipe in form of a U-groove or cylindrical pipe,or an oil feeder for supplying oil to such guide pipe.

On the other hand, another automatic rod feeder includes an oil feederhaving bushes fastened by screws in the U-groove guide at apredetermined interval. This oil feeder includes a bush body and a screwfor fixing the bush to a guide pipe.

The guide pipe of the first-mentioned bar feeder, however, has acontinuous long-scale structure composed of a metal, a resin or acompound of these metal and resin. In this structure, even if the oil isfed to the guide pipe having a feed rod inserted therein, only a slightgap exists between the feed rod and the inner periphery of the guidepipes. Because of this reason, the oil hardly reaches the feed pipeguide portion, thereby achieving less vibration prevention effect. Wherewearing occurred to parts, an entire structure was obliged to beexchanged because the guide pipe has the continuous structure.

In the guide pipe of the latter-mentioned rod feeder, on the other hand,when the oil is fed from an oil feed port, the oil is not fed to a spaceof a next oil reservoir as far as the oil goes over a wall of the bush.When a feed rod is placed on the bush, the space is closed by the feedrod, and accordingly, a slight gap remains between the feed rod and theinner periphery of the bush. Because of this reason, the oil reaches theneighbouring oil reservoir through this slight gap, so that it isdifficult for the oil to reach the neighbouring oil reservoir, therebyreducing the vibration prevention effect due to the oil.

Another bar feeder of a related art includes a belt vibration stopperhaving upper and lower frames vertically opened or closed with twofulcrums being the centers thereof. Such machines or like are requiredto be adjusted in accordance with a diameter of the material. However,these machines or like are not provided with any mechanism for adjustingan open/close angle of the frames so as to accord with the materialdiameter. The upper and lower frames must be adjusted independently,which, however, is not easily performed. Especially, in a case where thelower and side surfaces of the upper and lower frames are covered bycovers or like, it is predicted to be difficult to adjust the lowerframe.

Furthermore, a roller vibration stopper of a related art has upper andlower frames opened or closed with one fulcrum being the center thereof.However, the upper and lower frames are used in the closed state, andthis stopper is not provided with any mechanism for adjusting theopen/close angle of the upper and lower frames so as to accord with thematerial diameter.

An oil support of a related art has a mechanism opened or closedvertically. The oil support is, however, not provided with a mechanismfor adjusting the open/close angle so as to accord with the materialdiameter.

A roller vibration stopper of a related art has a frame opened or closedby two cylinders. However, a structure including such two cylinders iscomplicated and the vibration stopper is firmly fixed to a body.

Another bar feeder feeds a bar from its front end side to the workingmachine such as lathe while supporting the rear end of the bar material,and the working machine supports the rear portion of the bar materialduring the working of the front end portion of the bar material.

The bar feeder is provided with a support portion having a U-shapedgroove. This support portion is located on the extension of a main shaftof the working machine, and the bar material fed in the U-shaped grooveis fed to the main shaft of the working machine by a feed pipereciprocating in the U-shaped groove.

The bar material is fed into the U-shaped groove from a material racklocated on one side of the support portion, and a number of barmaterials are arranged in parallel with the U-shaped groove. The barmaterials are fed one by one from the material rack to the U-shapedgroove of the support portion, and the bar material rolling down fromthe material rack is received in the U-shaped groove. As mentionedabove, when the bar material is fed into the support portion, the feedpipe advances in the U-shaped groove to push the bar material toward thespindle of the working machine. The working machine works the front endof the bar material by repeating clamping and unclamping operations andsequentially cuts and feeds products so that each of them has apredetermined length. After the repeated cutting working, and one barmaterial is completely worked, a new bar material is fed from thematerial rack into the U-shaped groove of the support portion, and thelike working is repeated.

Further, at the time when the bar material is fed from the material rackinto the U-shaped groove of the support portion in the bar feeder, thebar material rolls down into the U-shaped groove, so that an impact,noise or like may be caused by the collision of the bar material withthe support portion.

For example, in a case where the bar material is erroneously fed intothe U-shaped groove by a miss-operation of an operator, it is extremelydifficult to take out the bar material from the U-shaped groove. Thisdifficulty will be increased in a case the diameter of the bar materialbecomes near the width of the U-shaped groove.

One end of the U-shaped groove of the support portion is opened, andaccordingly, the bar material is easily come off from this open end ofthe U-shaped groove during the working of the bar material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a feed rod vibration prevention support ina bar feeder improved in vibration prevention performance of the feedrod.

The invention is directed to a vibration stopper of a bar feeder forachieving appropriate vibration prevention performance in accordancewith a size of the bar material. The invention is directed to a barfeeder holding a bar material in a U-shaped groove during the workingthereof.

The first aspect of the invention provides a feed rod vibrationprevention support of a material feeder. The support includes a guidedevice for guiding a feed rod moving to feed a material to a workingmachine. The support includes a vibration attenuation mechanism forpreventing the feed rod from being vibrated. The guide device includes aguide; and a bush supported by the guide having the feed rod placedthereon and including a flanged portion. The vibration attenuationmechanism includes a first elastic material located between the bush andthe guide.

The support may include a base supporting the guide device. Thevibration attenuation mechanism may include a second elastic materiallocated between the base and the guide device.

The second aspect of the invention provides a feed rod vibrationprevention support of a material feeder. The support includes a guidedevice for guiding a feed rod moving to feed a material to a workingmachine. The support includes a fluid supply system for allowing a fluidto flow through the feed rod and the guide device. The guide deviceincludes a guide, a bush supported by the guide and having a feed rodplaced thereon, and an elastic material located between the bush and theguide. The fluid supply system includes a first and second fluidreservoirs having the guide device located therebetween, and a fluidpath located between the guide and the elastic material and extendingbetween the first and second fluid reservoirs.

The third aspect of the invention provides a vibration stopper of amaterial feeder. The stopper includes first and second roller membersrelatively rotatable to hold a material therebetween. The stopperincludes a stopper extending between the first and second roller membersand being movable to set an angle between the first and second rollermembers holding the material therebetween. The stopper includes anadjusting mechanism for displacing the stopper to adjust the angle.

The fourth aspect of the invention provides a vibration stopper of amaterial feeder. The stopper includes first and second roller membersrelatively rotatable to hold a material therebetween. The stopperincludes a cylinder movable to set an angle between the first and secondroller members. The stopper includes an adjusting mechanism fordisplacing the cylinder to adjust the angle.

The vibration stopper may include a fulcrum shaft supporting the firstand second roller members to be relatively rotatable. The fulcrum shaftmay support an upper lid, to be rotatable, of the support portionsupporting the material.

At least one of the first and second roller members may include a rollerdisplaceable in a radial direction.

The fifth aspect of the invention provides a bar feeder. The feederincludes a support portion provided with a U-shaped groove located on anextension of a spindle of a working machine. The feeder includes amaterial rack supporting a bar material in parallel with the U-shapedgroove of the support portion, the bar material being to be fed to theU-shaped groove of the support portion. The feeder includes a feed pipefor pushing out the bar material toward the spindle, the bar materialbeing fed in the U-shaped groove from the material rack. The feederincludes a guide lever reciprocating in a direction crossing between agroove opening side and a groove bottom side of the U-shaped groove. Theguide lever is controlled to move from the groove bottom side to thegroove opening side to push out the material toward the groove openingside upon returning of the bar material to the material rack from theU-shaped groove.

The sixth aspect of the invention provides a bar feeder. The feederincludes a support portion provided with a U-shaped groove located on anextension of a spindle of a working machine. The feeder includes amaterial rack supporting a bar material in parallel with the U-shapedgroove of the support portion, the bar material being to be fed to theU-shaped groove of the support portion. The feeder includes a feed pipefor pushing out the bar material toward the spindle, the bar materialbeing fed in the U-shaped groove from the material rack. The feederincludes a guide lever reciprocating in the U-shaped groove in adirection crossing between a groove opening side and a groove bottomside of the U-shaped groove. The guide lever is controlled to receivethe bar material on the groove opening side to move toward the groovebottom side upon supplying of the bar material into the U-shaped groovefrom the material rack.

The seventh aspect of the invention provides a bar feeder. The feederincludes a support portion provided with a U-shaped groove located on anextension of a spindle of a working machine. The feeder includes amaterial rack supporting a bar material in parallel with the U-shapedgroove of the support portion, the bar material being to fed to theU-shaped groove of the support portion. The feeder includes a feed pipefor pushing out the bar material toward the spindle, the bar materialbeing fed in the U-shaped groove from the material rack. The feederincludes a guide lever reciprocating in the U-shaped groove in adirection crossing between a groove opening side and a groove bottomside of the U-shaped groove. The guide lever is controlled to receivethe bar material on the groove opening side to move toward the groovebottom side upon supplying of the bar material into the U-shaped groovefrom the material rack, and the guide lever being controlled to movefrom the groove bottom side toward the groove opening side to push outthe bar material on the groove opening side upon returning of the barmaterial to the material rack from the U-shaped groove.

The support portion may include an upper support section for opening andclosing the U-shaped groove of the support portion from the grooveopening side. The upper support section may be cooperated with the guidelever in a manner such that when the guide lever receives the barmaterial on the groove opening side to move toward the groove bottomside, the upper support section closes the U-shaped groove, and when theguide lever is moved from the groove bottom side toward the grooveopening side, the upper support section opens the U-shaped groove.

The upper support section and the guide lever may be integrated by acommon support shaft and may be movable by a common actuator.

The eighth aspect of the invention provides a bar feeder. The bar feederincludes a support portion provided with a U-shaped groove located on anextension of a spindle of a working machine. The feeder includes amaterial rack supporting a bar material in parallel with the U-shapedgroove of the support portion, the bar material being to be fed to theU-shaped groove of the support portion. The bar feeder includes a feedpipe for pushing out the bar material toward the spindle, the barmaterial being fed in the U-shaped groove from the material rack. Thebar feeder includes a guide lever reciprocating in a direction crossingbetween a groove opening side and a groove bottom side of the U-shapedgroove. The guide lever is controlled to move from the groove bottomside to the groove opening side to push out the material toward thegroove opening side upon returning of the bar material to the materialrack from the U-shaped groove. The bar feeder further includes a feedrod vibration prevention support. The support includes a guide devicefor guiding a feed rod moving to feed a bar material to a workingmachine.

The support includes a vibration attenuation mechanism for preventingthe feed rod from being vibrated. The guide device includes a guide; anda bush supported by the guide having a feed rod placed thereon andincluding a flanged portion. The vibration attenuation mechanismincludes a first elastic material located between the bush and theguide.

The bar feeder further includes a vibration stopper. The stopperincludes first and second roller members relatively rotatable to hold abar material therebetween. The stopper includes a stopper extendingbetween the first and second roller members and being movable to set anangle between the first and second roller members holding the barmaterial therebetween. The stopper includes an adjusting mechanism fordisplacing the stopper to adjust the angle.

The nature and further characteristic features of the invention will bemade clearer from the following descriptions made with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a bar feeder and a lathe accordingto a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an inner structure of the bar feederand the lathe illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bar feeder illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section of a support illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5A is a longitudinal section of a guide device, and FIG. 5B is aside of the guide device;

FIG. 6A is a plan view illustrating a lower portion of the guide device,and FIG. 6B is a side view illustrating the lower portion thereof;

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating the guide device of the bar feederaccording to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the bar feeder and the lathe according to athird embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view of the bar feeder taken along theline IX-IX in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a transverse sectional view of the bar feeder taken along theline X-X in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11A is a top plan view, in an enlarged scale, of a support portionand a vibration stopper, and FIG. 11B is a side view thereof;

FIG. 12 is a front view of an essential structure of the bar feeder;

FIG. 13A is a front view, in an enlarged scale, of the vibrationstopper, and FIG. 13B is an enlarged view illustrating a roller and aroller shaft;

FIG. 14 is a side view illustrating the support portion and thevibration stopper according to a modified embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15A is an enlarged top plan view pf the support portion and thevibration stopper of the bar feeder according to a fourth embodiment ofthe invention, and FIG. 15B is an enlarged side view thereof;

FIG. 16 is a front view of an essential portion of the bar feederillustrated in FIG. 15A;

FIG. 17 is a front view of an essential portion of the bar feederillustrated in FIG. 15A, in which a bar material having a large diameteris disposed;

FIG. 18 is a plan view illustrating a bar feeder according to a fifthembodiment of the invention, in which a cover is removed;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken along the line XIX-XIX in FIG. 18;

FIGS. 20A to 20D are sectional views similar to FIG. 19 and illustratebar material feeding processes;

FIGS. 21A to 21D are sectional views similar to FIG. 19 and illustrateprocesses for taking out the bar material from the support portion; and

FIGS. 22A and 22B are a sectional views similar to FIG. 19 illustratinganother embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereunder, best modes for embodying the invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which terms of “upper”,“lower”, “right”, “left” and the like terms are used with reference tothe illustrations of the drawings or in an actually installed state ofan apparatus or like.

First Embodiment

With reference to FIG. 1, a bar feeder 1 as a material feeder is locatedadjacent to a lathe 2 as a working machine. The bar feeder 1 includes afeeder body 3 b supported by a base 3 a. The bar feeder 1 includes anupper lid 3 c assembled with the feeder body 3 b. The bar feeder 1further includes a control box 4 located below the feeder body 3 b andan operation board 6 located in front of the feeder body 3 b. Withreference to FIG. 2, the lathe 2 is provided with a cylindrical spindle(main shaft) 7 through which a bar material B1 may pass, and the lathe 2is also provided, at the end of the spindle 7, with a chuck 8 forgrasping the bar material B1. The chuck 8 is linearly moved togetherwith the spindle 7 and is rotatable around an axis A1 of the spindle 7.The lathe 2 has a blade for cutting the front end of the bar materialB1. The spindle 7 may be a stationary type which is not linearlymovable.

Further, with reference to FIG. 2, the bar feeder 1 includes a materialrack 10 for stocking the bar materials B1. The bar feeder 1 includes aconveyer 30 and a support device 20 for receiving the bar material B1from the material rack 10 to convey it to the lathe 2. The material rack10, the conveyer 30 and the support device 20 are controlled by thecontrol box 4.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the material rack 10 includes aninclined rack member 11 having a recess 11 a in which the bar materialsB1 are parallelly arranged. The material rack 10 includes an L-shapedtake-out lever 12 which is rotatable with a rotation shaft 13 being afulcrum thereof so as to raise the bar material B1 from the lower sidethereof. The material rack 10 also includes a cylinder 14 for drivingthe take-out lever 12, the cylinder 14 being swingably supported by thefeeder body 3 b. When the cylinder 14 is operated, the take-out lever 12is rotated in the clockwise direction, the leading (front one) barmaterial B1 is raised upward by the front end of the take-out lever 12,and then, the leading bar material B1 is taken out. The taken-out barmaterial B1 moves toward the support device 20 along the inclinedsurface 11 b of the rack member 11.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the conveyer 30 includes a feed rod 21centered to the axis A1 of the spindle 7. The feed rod 21 includes afinger chuck 21 a for grasping the rear end of the bar material B1. Thefinger rod 21 includes a bearing 21 b supporting the finger chuck 21 ato be rotatable. The finger rod 21 includes a push rod 21 c fixing thebearing 21 b. The conveyer 30 includes, at its front end opposing to thelathe 2, a vibration stopper 22. The vibration stopper 22 stops thevibration of the rotating bar material B1, thereby preventing thevibration from transferring to the feed rod 21 from the bar material B1rotating.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the conveyer 30 includes a feed motor36 driving the feed rod 21 and a slider 31 fixed to the front and rearpositions of the feed rod 21. The conveyer 30 also includes a sliderguide 32 which is located along the axis A1 of the spindle 7, fixed tothe rack member 11 and engaged with the slider 31. The conveyer 30 isprovided with a driving sprocket 33 and a front sprocket 34 stretchedwith a driving chain connected to one of the slides 31. When the feedmotor 36 is driven, the driving sprocket 33 is rotated. The rotatingdriving sprocket 33 serves to travel the driving chain via the frontsprocket 34 so as to move forward or rearward the feed rod 21 connectedto the slider 31 using a coupling member 31 a together with the slider31.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the support deice 20 includes a supportmechanism 40 supporting the feed rod 21 and also includes a guide device50 for guiding the feed rod 21.

The support mechanism 40 includes mount stays 41 as a base arranged at apredetermined interval along the axis A1 of the lathe 2.

The guide device 50 includes a lower support stay 51 supported by themount stay 41 with a vibration-proof rubber 71 intervening between thelower support stay 1 and the mount stay 41. The guide device 50 includesan upper support arm 53 coupled with the lower support stay 51 to berotatable by using a fulcrum shaft 52. The guide device 50 also includesa cylinder 54 (see FIG. 4) driving the upper support arm 53.

The guide device 50 also includes a U-shaped lower support guide 56connected to the lower support stay 51 by means of a lower coupling rail55. The guide device 50 includes an upper support guide 58 connected tothe upper support arm 53 by means of upper coupling rail 57. The guidedevice 50 further includes a support case 59 as a bush positioned insidethe lower support guide 56. The guide device 50 includes a U-shapedvibration-proof rubber 53 interposed between the lower support guide 56and the support case 59. The guide device 50 includes a vibration-proofpad 72 fixed to the upper support guide 58 of the guide device 50.

With reference to FIG. 5B, the upper support guide 58 has an end 58 a ofin the circumferential direction opposed, with a gap, to the end 56 a ofthe lower support guide 56 in the circumferential direction. Thecoupling member 31 a is inserted in the gap so as to couple the feed rod21 and the slider 31.

A thin metal support case 59 is curved so as to conform with the innerperipheral surface of the vibration-proof rubber 73. The outerperipheral surface of the vibration-proof rubber 73 is curved so as toconform with the inner peripheral surface of the lower support guide 56.The support case 59 has a U-shaped groove in its inside, in which thefeed rod 21 is located. The support case 59 has both circumferentialends which extend upward form a center line C1 and are bent outward,thereby constituting flanged portions 59 a and 59 b (see FIG. 6). The“center line C1” means a line passing the center of a curvature circleof the inner surface of the support case 59. The flanged portions 59 aand 59 b are fastened to both the end portions of the lower supportguide 56 together with presser fittings 62A and 62B by using screws 61.The support case 59 and the vibration-proof rubber 73 are located at apredetermined interval along the axis A1. The support case 59 and thevibration-proof rubber 73 may be exchanged in accordance with the sizeof the feed rod 21 and independently so as to correspond to partialwearing.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the support device 20 includes a vibrationattenuation mechanism 70 for preventing the vibration of the feed rod21. The vibration attenuation mechanism 70 is provided with avibration-proof rubber 71 located between a mount stay 41 and a lowersupport stay 51. A plurality of the vibration attenuation mechanisms 70are arranged at a predetermined interval along the axis A1 and providedwith vibration-proof pads 72 made of a urethane rubber as illustrated inFIG. 4. Each of the vibration-proof pads 42 is fixed inside the uppersupport guide 58 by means of screw as illustrated in FIG. 5B. Thevibration-proof pad 72 defines a space conforming with the size of thefeed rod 21 together with the inner surface of the support case 59 so asto block the upward movement of the feed rod 21. Although, in theillustrated embodiment, the vibration-proof pad 72 has a square section,it may have a semi-circular section in conformity with the diameter ofthe feed rod 21. The vibration attenuation mechanism 70 includes aU-shaped vibration-proof rubber 73 as an elastic member located betweenthe support case 59 and the lower support guide 56. The vibration-proofrubber may be exchanged independently so as to deal with a problem ofpartial wearing.

With reference to FIG. 5A, the support device 20 includes an oil supplysystem 80 as a fluid supply system for supplying an oil as fluid to theguide device 50. The oil supply system 80 includes an oil pump 81 forfeeding the oil (see FIG. 2). The oil supply system 80 is provided withan oil reservoir space 82 as fluid reservoir between the guide devices50. The oil supply system 80 includes an oil supply port 83 connected tothe oil pump 81 using a duct for supplying the oil to the oil reservoirspace 82. The oil supply system 80 includes an oil path 84 as a fluidpath formed by cutting out the bottom portion of the lower support guide56. The oil path 84 connects the oil reservoir spaces 82 to each other.This oil path 84 allows the oil to communicate between the respectiveoil reservoir spaces 82, so that the oil is uniformly distributed to therespective oil reservoir spaces 82, thereby achieving the vibrationprevention effect.

Next, the operation of the bar feeder 1 will be described hereunder.

With reference to FIG. 3, the upper support arm 53 is rotated in thecounter-clockwise direction with respect to the lower support stay 51 tothereby separate the upper support guide 58 from the lower support guide56, releasing the upper side of the support case.

The cylinder 14 is then operated to rotate the take-out lever 12 in theclockwise direction. The front end 12 a of the take-out lever 12 liftsupward the leading bar material B1 and takes it out through the recess11 a. The taken out bar material B1 descends the inclining surface 11 bof the rack 11 and falls inside the support case 59.

Then, the upper support arm 53 is rotated in the clockwise directionwith respect to the lower support stay 51 so that the upper supportguide 58 approaches the lower support guide 56. Accordingly, the uppersupport guide 58 is positioned with respect to the lower support guide56, locating the vibration-proof pad 72 with the gap between it 58 andthe top portion of the feed rod 21.

Next, the feed motor 36 is operated to move the slider 31 toward thelathe 2 along the slider guide 32. This operation allows the feed rod 21to move toward the lathe 2 along the axis A1. With reference to FIG. 4,the feed rod 21 is temporarily stopped in front of the bar material B1and the rear end of the bar material B1 is grasped by the finger chuck21 a. The feed rod 21 is again moved together with the bar material B1toward the lathe 2 along the axis A1, being inserted into the spindle 7of the lathe 2 as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The vibration-proof rubber 71 absorbs the vibration of the guide device50. The vibration-proof pad 72 and the vibration-proof rubber 73 absorbthe vibration of the feed rod 21, thus preventing the feed rod 21 formvibrating.

The oil pump 81 serves to supply the oil from the oil support port 83into the oil reservoir space 82. The oil lubricates the feed rod 21 andthe guide device 50 and flows between the adjacent oil reservoir spaces82 through the oil path 84 so as to be uniformly distributed therein,thus achieving and improving the vibration-proof performance.

The bar material B1 passes through the spindle 7 of the lathe 2 to befixed by means of the chuck 8. The bar material B1 is then worked by ablade provided for the lathe 2. After the completion of the working, theremaining portion of the bar material B1 is moved backward to the barfeeder 1 from the lathe 2 in accordance with the backward movement ofthe feed rod 21.

According to the bar feeder 1 of the structure mentioned above, thevibration-proof rubber 71 of the vibration attenuation mechanism 70absorbs the vibration of the guide device 50, and the vibration-proofpad 72 and the vibration-proof rubber 73 absorb the vibration of thefeed rod 21, and accordingly, the vibration of the feed rod 21 isprevented.

The oil path 84 allows the oil to flow between the neighbouring oilreservoir spaces 82, so that the oil is uniformly distributed in the oilreservoir spaces 82 and the vibration-proof effect is improved.

Second Embodiment

The bar feeder 1 according to the second embodiment will be describedhereunder with reference to FIG. 7.

The bar feeder 1 includes a guide device 50A which has a characteristicfeature of the invention. The guide device 50A includes a J-shaped lowersupport guide 56A. The lower support guide 56A is composed of a bottomwall section 56A1, a first side wall section 56A2 extending at rightangle from one end of the bottom wall section 56A1, and a second sidewall section 56A3 extending at right angle from the other end of thebottom wall section 56A1. The second side wall section 56A3 has a lengthlonger than that of the first side wall section 56A2. The lower supportguide 56 is provided with a right-angled corner members 56A4 and 56A5constituted by the bottom wall section 56A1 and the first and secondside wall sections 56A2 and 56A3. The guide device 50A includes anL-shaped upper support guide 58A in combination with the lower supportguide 56. The upper support guide 58A includes a top wall section 58A1extending in parallel with the bottom wall section 56A1. The uppersupport guide 58A includes a side wall section extending at right anglefrom one end of the top wall section 58A1. The side wall section 58A2 islocated so as to oppose to the first side wall section 56A2 with a gaptherebetween. The top wall section 58A1 has the other end 58A3contacting the second wall section 56A3 of the lower support guide 56A.

The guide device 50A includes press fitting members 62C and 62D intowhich flanged portions 59 a and 59 b of the support case 59 are insertedand which are fixed to the inner surfaces of the first and second sidewall sections 56A2 and 56A3, respectively.

The guide device 50A also includes a vibration-proof rubber 73A locatedbetween the support case 59 and the lower support guide 56A. Thevibration-proof rubber 73A having a rectangular cross section isprovided with an oil path 84A as a fluid path formed by cutting outcorner portions corresponding to corner portions 56A4 and 56A5 of thelower support guide 56A. The oil path 84A constitutes a fluid supplysystem 80A.

According to the bar feeder 1 of the structures mentioned above,substantially the identical benefits and functions as those of the firstembodiment will be achieved.

Third Embodiment

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, a bar feeder 101 as a material feederis located in adjacent to a lathe 102 as a working machine. The barfeeder 101 includes a feeder body 103 b supported by a base 103 a. Thebar feeder 101 includes an upper lid 103 c assembled with the feederbody 103 b. The bar feeder 101 includes a control box 104 located belowthe feeder body 103 b. The bar feeder 101 includes an operation board106 located at the front side portion of the feeder body 103 b. Withreference to FIG. 8, the lathe 102 includes a cylindrical spindle 107through which the bar material B1 passes. The lathe 102 also includes,at the end of the spindle 107, a chuck 108 for grasping the bar materialB1. The chuck 108 is linearly movable with the spindle 107 and rotatableabout the axis A1 thereof. The lathe 102 further includes a blade forworking the front end of the bar material B1. A stationary type spindlemay be adopted instead of the movable type.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the bar feeder 101 includes a material rack110 for stocking the bar materials B1. The bar feeder 101 includes asupport device 120 for receiving the bar materials B1 from the rack 110.The bar feeder 101 includes a conveyer 130 conveying the bar materialsB1 on the support device 120 to the lathe 102. The bar feeder 101includes a vibration stopper 160 for preventing the vibration of the barmaterials B1 on the support device 120. The material rack 110, thesupport device 120, the conveyer 130 and the vibration stopper 160 arecontrolled by the control box 104 illustrated in FIG. 1.

With reference to FIG. 9, the material rack 110 includes an inclinedrack 111 having a recess 111 a, in which the bar materials B1 aremounted parallelly. The material rack 110 also includes an L-shapedtake-out lever 112 rotatable about a rotating shaft 113 as a fulcrum soas to lift upward the bar material B1 from the lower side thereof. Thetake-out lever 112 is driven by a cylinder 114 of the material rack 110.The cylinder 114 is swingably supported by the feeder body 103 b. Whenthe cylinder 114 is driven to rotate the lever 112 in the clockwisedirection, the leading bar material B1 is raised by the front end 112 aof the take-out lever 112 to be taken out of the recess 111 a. The barmaterial B1 moves toward the support device 112 along the inclinedsurface of the rack 111.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the conveyer 130 includes a feed rod121 centered to the axis A1 of the spindle 107. The feed rod 121includes a finger chuck grasping a rear end of the bar material B1. Thefeed rod 121 includes a bearing rotatably supporting the finger chuck.The feed rod 121 includes a push rod to which the bearing is fixed.

The conveyer 130 also includes a feed motor 136 for driving the feed rod121. The conveyer 130 includes a slider 131 fixed to the front and rearportions of the feed rod 121. The conveyer 130 includes a slider guide132 located along the axis A1, fixed to the rack 111 and engaged withthe slider 131. The conveyer 130 further includes a driving sprocket 133and a front end side sprocket 134 to which a drive chain 135 connectedto one of the sliders 131 is stretched and engaged. The feed motor 136is operated to rotate the driving sprocket 133. The rotating sprocket133 travels the drive chain 135 by way of the front end side sprocket134 so as to move forward or backward the feed rod 121 coupled with thesliders 131 by means of coupling fittings 131 a together with thesliders 131.

The support device 120 includes mount stays 141 as a base arranged alongthe axis A1 at a predetermined interval. The support device 120 includessupport members 150 supported by the mount stays 141. The support device120 includes an oil pump 142 (FIG. 8) for supplying the oil to thesupport members 150.

With reference to FIG. 9, the support member 150 includes a lowersupport holder 151 supported by the mount stay 141 with avibration-proof rubber 143 therebetween. The support member 150 includesan upper support holder 153 connected to the lower support holder 151 tobe rotatable with respect to the lower support holder 151 by using aguide bar 152 acting as fulcrum. The support member 150 includes acylinder 154 for opening or closing the upper support holder 153 byusing a open/close lever 155.

The support member 150 also includes a J-shaped support case 156 locatedon the lower support holder 151. The support member 150 includes aU-shaped support 157 positioned inside the support case 156 forarranging the bar material B1. The support member 150 includes avibration-proof pad 159 formed of a urethane rubber and fixed to thelower surface of the upper lid 158.

The one end in the circumferential direction of the upper lid 158contacts one end in the circumferential direction of the lower supportholder 151. The other end in the circumferential direction of the upperlid 158 opposes to the other end of the lower support holder 151 with agap therebetween. The coupling fitting 131 a is inserted into this gapso as to connect the feed rod 121 and the slider 131.

The support 157 made of metal or resin has a U-shaped groove therein, inwhich the bar material B1 is located. The inner peripheral surface ofthe support 157 is curved in conformity with the outer peripheralsurface of the feed rod 121. This support 157 may be exchangedindependently because of partial wearing thereof.

With reference to FIG. 10, the vibration stopper 160 includes anopen/close cylinder 162 fixed to a cylinder mount plate 161. Thevibration stopper 160 also includes a first open/close lever 164rotatably supported by the open/close cylinder 162 about a first fulcrumshaft 163 fixed to the cylinder mount plate 161. The vibration stopper160 includes a second open/close lever 167 rotatably supported by thefirst open/close lever 164 using a joint shaft 166. The vibrationstopper 160 further includes upper and lower roller holders 168 and 169as roller members mounted to the second open/close lever 167 to berelatively rotatable around the guide bar 152. The vibration stopper 160includes upper and lower roller groups 172 and 173 as roller memberssupported to be rotatable to the upper and lower roller holders 168 and169 using the roller shaft 171. The vibration stopper 160 furtherincludes a stopper pin 174 penetrating the upper roller holder 168 andabutting against the lower roller holder 169. The vibration stopper 160includes an adjusting handle 175 as an adjusting mechanism or apositioning member abutting against the stopper pin 174.

The open/close cylinder 162 is rotatably supported by the cylinder mountplate 161 by means of the cylinder fulcrum shaft 162 a. The open/closecylinder 162 includes a cylinder rod 162 a slidably inserted therein.The cylinder rod 162 b has a front end connected to one end of the firstopen/close lever 164. The cylinder rod 162 b is movable forward andrearward with respect to the open/close cylinder 162. The cylinder rod162 b moving forward and rearward serves to open or close the vibrationstopper 160.

The second open/close lever 167 is connected to the first open/closelever 163 using the joint shaft 166, including upper and lower arms 167Aand 167B opened at a predetermined angle. The upper and lower arms 167Aand 167B are connected to the upper and lower roller holders 168 and169, respectively, to be rotatable about the joint shaft 166 indirections reverse to each other.

The upper roller group 172 includes first and second upper rollers 172Aand 172B mounted to front and rear portions of the upper roller holder168, respectively. The first upper roller 172A is positioned on theinner side in the radial direction. The second upper roller 172B ispositioned on the outer side in the radial direction. The first andsecond upper rollers 172A and 172B are partially overlapped with eachother in the radial direction. Further, the first and second upperrollers 172A and 172B press the bar materials B1 in the recess formedtherebetween.

The lower roller group 173 includes first and second lower rollers 173Aand 173B mounted to front and rear portions of the lower roller holder169, respectively. The first lower roller 173A is positioned on theinner side in the radial direction on the same side of the first upperroller 172A. The second lower roller 173B is positioned on the outerside in the radial direction on the same side of the second upper roller172B. The first and second lower rollers 173A and 173B are partiallyoverlapped with each other in the radial direction. Further, the firstand second lower rollers 173A and 173B support the bar materials in therecess formed therebetween as illustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13B.

A block 176 as adjusting mechanism is fixed to the upper surface of theupper roller holder 168. The block 176 has a flanged portion 176 aformed with a through hole having an inner peripheral wall having spiralthread formed thereto.

The stopper pin 174 extends through the upper roller holder 168,contacting, at its front end, the upper surface of the lower rollerholder 169. When the upper roller holder 168 is closed, the stopper pin174 abuts against the lower roller holder 169 so as to set an openingangle between the upper and lower roller holders 168 and 169.

The adjusting angle 175 includes a rod 175 a inserted in the throughhole of the flanged portion 176 a of the block 176. A screw thread to bemeshed with the spiral screw thread of the flanged portion 176 a isformed to the outer peripheral wall section of the rod 175 a. That is,when the adjusting handle 175 is rotated, the rod 175 a is moved forwardor backward due to the engagement of the screw threads. When the rod 175a is moved forward, the rod 175 a pushes the stopper pin 174 to bedisplaced, opening the upper and lower roller holders 168 and 169 toincrease the angle constituted between the holders 168 and 169. On theother hand, when the rod 175 a is moved backward, the stopper pin 174 isdisplaced toward the rod 175 a, closing the upper and lower rollerholders 168 and 169 are opened so as to decrease the angle constitutedbetween the holders 168 and 169. These operations adjust the openingangle between the upper and lower roller holders 168 and 169. The upperand lower roller holders 168 and 169 are opened in conformity with thediameter of the bar material B1. The bar material B1 is suitably heldbetween the upper and lower roller groups 172 and 173 as illustrated inFIG. 7A. The adjusting handle 175 may be formed integrally with thestopper pin 174, and the upper roller holder 168 and the stopper pin 174may be both formed with screw threads which are meshed with each other.The adjusting handle 175 and the block 176 constitute a linear motionmechanism of a spiral member. The stopper pin 174 may be linearly movedby using a slider/crank mechanism, a rack/pinion mechanism, a cammechanism or like as another linear motion mechanism.

As illustrated in FIG. 13B, the first and second upper rollers 172A and172B and the first and second lower rollers 173A and 173B are supportedto the upper and lower roller holders 168 and 169, respectively, by theroller shafts 171 with the bearings 182 being interposed therebetween.The roller shafts 171 pass through holes formed to the roller holders168 and 169 with gaps and pass through the rollers 172A, 172B, 173A and173B. The front end of the roller shafts 171 are fixed by means of nutson the outsides of the rollers 172A, 172B, 173A and 173B. Cushioningrubbers 182 fill between the respective roller shafts 171 and theperipheral walls of the holes of the roller holders 168 and 169. Thecushioning rubber 182 is sandwiched from the front and rear sides by thefirst and second flanged portions 183A and 183B. The first and secondflanged portions 183A and 183B are fitted into the holes of the rollerholders 168 and 169. The first and second flanged portions 183A and 183Bare pressed by the nuts and bearings 181 of the roller shafts 171.O-rings 186 are arranged around the first and second flanged portions183A and 183B. According to such structure, the roller shafts 171 aremovable in the radial direction, and in addition, displace the rollers172A, 172B, 173A and 173B in the radial direction in accordance with thediameters of the bar materials B1 and B2. Thus, the bar materials B1 andB2 are centered to the first and second roller groups 172 and 173 inaccordance with the lengths of the diameters thereof.

The bar feeder 101 operates as follows.

With reference to FIG. 9, the rod of the cylinder 154 is moved backwardand the open/close lever 155 is rotated about the guide bar 152 in thecounter-clockwise direction. The upper support holder 153 is rotated inthe counter-clockwise direction with respect to the lower support holder151, separating the upper lid 158 from the support case 156. Thus, theupper portion of the support 157 is opened.

With reference to FIG. 10, the open/close cylinder 162 is operated so asto move the cylinder rod 162 backward, and the first open/close lever164 is rotated in the counter-clockwise direction. The first open/closelever 164 rotates the upper arm 167A of the second open/close lever 167in the counter-clockwise direction, and also rotates the lower arm 167Bin the clockwise direction. The upper arm 167A rotates the upper rollerholder 168 in the counter-clockwise direction about the guide bar 152.The lower arm 167B rotates the lower roller holder 169 in the clockwisedirection about the guide bar 152. According to the above operations,the angle between the upper and lower roller holders 168 and 169increases, thereby separating the upper and lower roller groups 172 and173 from each other. This operation opens the vibration stopper 160,defining a space through which the bar material to be taken out.

Next, the cylinder 114 of the material rack 110 is operated to rotatethe take-out lever 112 in the clockwise direction. The front end 112 aof the take-out lever lifts the leading bar material B1 and takes out itfrom the recess 111 a. The taken-out bar material B1 descends on theinclined surface of the rack 111 and drops into the U-shaped groove ofthe support 157.

With reference to FIG. 9, the cylinder 154 is operated so as to moveforward the rod, and the open/close lever 155 is rotated in theclockwise direction. When the upper support holder 153 is rotated in theclockwise direction with respect to the lower support holder 151 so thatthe upper lid 158 abuts against the support case 156.

The operation for closing the vibration stopper 160 will be describedhereunder with reference to FIG. 10. When the open/close cylinder 162 isoperated, the cylinder rod 162 b is forward moved to rotate the firstopen/close lever 164 in the clockwise direction. The first open/closelever 164 rotates the upper arm 167A of the second open/close lever 167in the clockwise direction, and on the other hand, rotates the lower arm167B in the counter-clockwise direction. Then, the upper arm 167Arotates the upper roller holder 168 in the clockwise direction about theguide bar 152, and the lower arm 167B rotates the lower roller holder169 in the counter-clockwise direction about the guide bar 152.According to the above operation, the angle between these upper andlower roller holders 168 and 169 decreases, and the upper and lowerroller groups 172 and 173 approach each other. The stopper pin 174 abutsagainst the lower roller holder 169 and the upper and lower rollerholders 168 and 169 stop their relative rotations to thereby set apredetermined angle. The upper and lower roller groups 172 and 173 graspthe bar material B1 and hold it therebetween.

With reference to FIG. 8, the feed motor 136 is driven to move theslider 131 toward the lathe 102 along the slider guide 132. According tothis operation, the feed rod 121 is moved toward the lathe 102 along theaxis A1. With reference to FIG. 10, the feed rod 121 is stoppedtemporarily in front of the bar material B1, and the finger chuck graspsthe rear end of the bar material B1. Then, the feed rod 121 is againmoved toward the lathe 102 together with the bar material B1 on the axisA1 and put into the spindle 107 of the lathe 102.

The bar material B1 passes through the spindle 107 of the lathe 102 andis fixed to the chuck 108. The bar material B1 is worked by a blade ofthe lathe 102. After the working, the remaining portion of the barmaterial B1 is moved backward from the lathe 102 to the bar feeder 101in accordance with the backward movement of the feed rod 121.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13A, an adjusting method in a caseof using a bar material B2 having a diameter smaller than that of thebar material B1 will be described.

First, an adjusting handle 175 is rotated to move backward a rod 175 afrom the stopper pin 174. The stopper pin 174 is moved backward towardthe rod 175 a and displaced so as to reduce the angle between the upperand lower roller holders 168 and 169. Accordingly, the upper and lowerroller groups 172 and 173 suitably hold the bar material B2therebetween.

Then, with reference to FIG. 13A, the roller shaft 171 moves in theradial direction by the bar material B1, and displaces, in the radialdirection, the rollers 172A, 172B, 173A and 173B. Accordingly, thedisplacement of the axis of the bar material B2 is corrected and the barmaterial B2 is subjected to the centering operation by the upper andlower roller groups 172 and 173.

According to the bar feeder 101 of the structures mentioned above, theadjusting handle 175 adjusts the angle between the first and secondroller holders 168 and 169 in accordance with the size of the material,so that the vibration prevention of the bar material is achieved inaccordance with the size of the bar material to be handled.

The guide bar 152 functions as fulcrum shaft of the upper and lowerroller holders 168 and 169 and as fulcrum shaft of the upper supportholder 153 of the support portion 150 and the upper lid 158, so that thedevice is miniaturized and manufacturing cost is decreased.

The rollers 172A, 172B, 173A and 173B are displaceable in the radialdirection, and accordingly, in conformity with the diameter thereof, thebar material B1 is subjected to the centering operation in conformitywith the diameter thereof, thereby achieving the vibration stop of thebar material.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, the cylinder mount plate 161 and the supportcase 156 may be coupled by a coupling plate 187. This coupling plate 187integrates the support portion 150 with the vibration stopper 160. Thesupport portion 150 may be constituted as an oil feeder for feeding oil,and the vibration stopper 160 may be arranged to the support portion 150as this oil feeder.

According to this structure, the vibration stopper 160 is mounted to thelong scaled support portion 150, and therefore, the vibration stopper160 itself is prevented from being vibrated by the vibration-proofrubber 143. Thus, the vibration of the bar material B1 at the rotatingtime is effectively prevented.

Fourth Embodiment

The bar feeder 101 according to the fourth embodiment of the inventionwill be described hereunder with reference to FIGS. 15A, 15B and 16.

An open/close cylinder 162A of a vibration stopper 160A is characterizedby being provided with an adjusting handle 188 as an adjustingmechanism, a liner motion mechanism or a positioner for adjusting theopened angle formed by the upper and lower roller holders 168 and 169.The adjusting handle 188 is fixed to the cylinder mount plate 161 bysandwiching the flanged portion 161 a from the front and rear direction.Further, the adjusting handle 188 is provided with a rod 188 a having anouter peripheral wall having a thread formed thereto. The open/closecylinder 162A includes a bracket 162 d as an adjusting mechanism coupledwith a fulcrum shaft 162 a and a joint member 162 c. The bracket 162 dhas a hole at its end surface, and the hole is threaded in the innerperipheral wall thereof, the thread being engaged with the thread formedto the rod 188 a. Accordingly, the adjusting handle 188 moves anddisplaces the open/close cylinder 162A by an amount corresponding to adistance L2. The vibration stopper 160A includes a stopper wall 189 forstopping the rotation in the counter-clockwise direction of the firstopen/close lever 164 to set constant the opening angle for receiving thebar material during opening of the vibration stopper 160A. Anotherstopper for stopping the backward movement of the cylinder rod at apredetermined position may be placed in place of the stopper wall 189.

With reference to FIG. 16, when the cylinder rod 162 b is moved forwardby the maximum distance, the rod has a length L1. At this time, thevibration stopper 160A has a closed state. With the vibration stopper160A closed, the upper and lower roller holders 168 and 169 are closedto the predetermined angle, and the bar material B2 having a smalldiameter is held between the upper and lower roller groups 172 and 173.

With reference to FIG. 17, with the vibration stopper 160A closed, theadjusting method in conformity with the diameter of the bar materialwill be described hereunder. In the case when the vibration stopper 160Aserves to stop the vibration of a bar material B3 having a diameterlarger than that of the bar material B2, the open/close cylinder 162A isnot operated and the cylinder rod 162 b maintains the rod length L1.Then, when the adjusting handle 188 is rotated, the rod 188 a is movedinto the bracket 162 d due to the engagement of the threads thereof, andthe open/close cylinder 162A is moved backward toward the adjustinghandle 188. According to such operations, the upper and lower rollerholders 168 and 169 are relatively rotated so as to increase the openingangle so as to be conformed with the diameter of the bar material B3.Thus, the bar material B3 is appropriately held between the upper andlower roller groups 172 and 173.

According to the vibration stopper 160A, the adjusting handle 188 movesthe open/close cylinder 162A to adjust the opening angle between theupper and lower roller holders 168 and 169 in accordance with thediameter of the bar material, thus appropriately holding the barmaterial between the upper and lower roller groups 172 and 173.

Fifth Embodiment

With reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, the fifth embodiment of the inventionwill be described. As illustrated, a bar feeder 202 is located near alathe 203 as a working machine. On the side surface of the bar feeder202, there is mounted an operation board 204 provided with a switchperforming ON/OFF operation to the bar feeder 202. A control box 205, inwhich a control unit for automatically controlling the bar feeder 202 isaccommodated, is also located to the lower portion of the bar feeder202.

As illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19, the bar feeder 202 includes a mainframe 206 extending in parallel with the extension of a spindle 203 ofthe lathe 203. The bar feeder 202 is held by the main frame 206 so thatthe support portion 207 having a U-shaped groove 207 a is positioned onthe extension of the spindle 203 a of the lathe 203.

The support portion 207 includes a material rack 208 on one side, thematerial rack 208 including a plurality of support members 209 having anumber of bar materials B1 placed thereon. The support members 209 arefixed to the main frame 206, with the upper surface of the supportmember 209 inclined downward toward the U-shaped groove 207 a of thesupport portion 207. The upper surface of the support member 209 hasthereon a number of bar materials B1 arranged in the U-shaped groove 207a in a row in parallel therewith. The support member 209 has a stopper209 a located on the side of the support portion 207. The stopper 209 aserves to receive the leading bar material B1, stopping the row of thebar materials B1.

A push-up member 210 is located between the support members 209, 209 ata position lower than the upper surface of the support members 209. Thepush-up member 210 is coupled with a horizontal shaft 211 supported inparallel with the support portion 207 on a side opposite to the stopper209 a of the support member 209. The front end of the push-up member 210has a projection 210 a directly opposing to the leading bar material B1,from the lower side thereof, stopped by the stopper 209 a. The push-upmember 210 is coupled with the main frame 206 using a piston-cylinderassembly 212. When the piston-cylinder assembly 212 is contracted, thepush-up member 210 is moved to a waiting position indicated with brokenline in FIG. 19. When the piston-cylinder assembly 212 is expanded, thepush-up member 210 is vertically rotated with the horizontal shaft 211being fulcrum, and pushed up the leading bar material B1 by theprojection 210 a thereof. The pushed-up bar material B1 rides over thestopper 209 a and rolls down toward the U-shaped groove 207 a of thesupport portion 207. The piston-cylinder assembly 212 is controlled by acontrol unit, not illustrated, located in the control box 205.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, the support portion 207 is provided with afeed pipe 213 on the side reverse to the lathe (203) side in theU-shaped groove 207 a. The feed pipe 213 is reciprocally movable betweenthe waiting position indicated with the broken line in FIG. 18 and thespindle (203 a) side of the lathe 203. As a moving member of the feedpipe 213, an endless chain 214 is arranged as illustrated in FIGS. 18and 19. The endless chain 214 is stretched over sprockets wheels 214 aand 214 b arranged on the lathe side and the opposite side of the mainframe 206. Further, in FIG. 18, reference numeral 215 denotes a motorfor driving the endless chain 214. The motor 215 is controlled by thecontrol unit located in the control box 205.

The feed pipe 213 includes a primary feed member 216 for moving forwarda newly fed bar material B1 when it is newly fed into the U-shapedgroove 207 a. This primary feed member 216 is coupled with the endlesschain 214.

The feed pipe 213 also includes a coupling arm 213 a extending from thefeed pipe 213 to the primary feed member (216) side and the endlesschain (214) side. This coupling arm 213 a is detachable with respect tothe primary feed member 216 and the endless chain 214. Furthermore, thefeed pipe 213 is movable upward by an elevating mechanism, notillustrated, in the waiting position indicated with a solid line in FIG.18. When the feed pipe 213 is moved upward, the coupling arm 213 a isdisengaged from the primary feed member 216 and the endless chain 214.On the contrary, when the feed pipe 213 is lowered, the coupling arm 213a is engaged with the primary feed member 216 and the endless chain 214.A piston-cylinder assembly may be adopted as such elevating mechanism.

When the new bar material B1 is fed into the U-shaped groove 207 a fromthe material rack 208, the elevating mechanism, not illustrated, movesthe feed pipe 213 to the elevated position. When the bar material B1 isput inside the U-shaped groove 207 a, the motor 215 is positively drivento travel the endless chain in one direction. Then, the primary feedmember 216 pushes forward the bar material B1 over the front end of thefeed pipe 213. When the motor 215 is reversely driven, the endless chain214 travels in the reverse direction. The primary feed member 216returns backward from the feed pipe 213. The feed pipe 213 is thenlowered and connected to the primary feed member 216 and the endlesschain 214. Thereafter, the motor 215 is again positively rotated totravel the endless chain 214 in the one direction. The feed pipe 213moves forward in the U-shaped groove 207 a toward the lathe (203) side,pushing the front end of the bar material B1 toward the spindle (203 a)side of the lathe 203. The spindle 203 a cuts out a product from thefront end of the bar material B1 while grasping and rotating the frontend of the bar material B1, and during this operation, the feed pipe 213supports the rear end of the bar material B1. After the cuttingoperation of the products are repeated and the bar material B1 isconsumed, the motor 215 is driven reversely to thereby travel theendless chain 214 in the reverse direction. The feed pipe 213 is movedbackward in the U-shaped groove 207 a and releases a remaining portionof the bar material B1, and thereafter, returns to the originalposition. Such operations are repeated thereafter so as to feed the newbar material B1 into the U-shaped groove 207 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, the support portion 207 is separated intothree sections in the longitudinal direction thereof. It is of coursepossible to be divided into sections in more or less numbers. Asillustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19, the support portion 207 is provided witha guide lever 217, which is reciprocally movable in a direction crossingthe opening side and the bottom side of the U-shaped groove 207 a ateach separated position thereof.

Each of the guide lever 217 includes a bent portion 217 a for receivingthe bar material B1 and an arm 217 b for holding the bent portion 217 a.

The bent portion 217 a has a bent angle such that rapid dropping of thebar material B1 into the U-shaped groove 207 a, when the bar material B1stops at the groove opening side of the U-shaped groove 207 a, isprevented, and the rolling of the bar material B1 on the U-shaped groove207 a on the side reverse to the material rack 208 is also prevented. Inan actual structure, the bent portion 217 a has a dull angle. The bentportion 217 a may have a curved structure.

The base end of each arm 217 b is supported to be rotatable by thesupport shaft 218 located above the main frame 206 on the side oppositeto the material rack 208 in the support portion 207. Accordingly, eachguide lever 217 is rotatable in the vertical direction with the supportshaft 218 being the fulcrum. The bent portion 217 a is movable so as tocross the U-shaped groove 207 a between its opening and bottom sides.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, the piston-cylinder assembly 219 as anactuator is located below each guide lever 217 so as to be directedupward and fixed to the main frame 206. The front end of the rod 219 aof the piston-cylinder assembly 219 is directed toward the lower surfaceof the bent portion 217 a. The piston-cylinder assembly 219 iscontrolled by the control unit in the control box 205. When thepiston-cylinder assembly 219 is contracted, the rod 219 a thereof islowered as indicated with the solid line in FIG. 19, and the guide lever217 is rotated toward the groove bottom side by the self-gravitythereof. On the contrary, when the piston-cylinder assembly 219 isexpanded, the rod 219 a thereof is moved upward as indicated withtwo-dot-chain line in FIG. 19. The guide lever 217 is pushed upward bythe rod 219 a on the groove opening side of the U-shaped groove 207 a.

When the bar material B1 is fed from the material rack 208 to the insideof the U-shaped groove 207 a, the guide lever 217 is positioned on thegroove opening side of the U-shaped groove 207 a to receive the barmaterial B1 by the bent portion 217 a by the expanding operation of therod 219 a of the piston-cylinder assembly 219. When the bar material B1is rested on the bent portion 217 a, the rod 219 a is lowered by thecontraction of the piston-cylinder assembly 219. The guide lever 217 isturned on the groove bottom side of the U-shaped groove 207 a by theself-gravity thereof, and the bar material B1 is transferred quietly onthe groove bottom portion. This operation buffers impact or noise whichmay be caused at a time when the bar materials B1 are fed into theU-shaped groove 207 a. In a case when the bar material B1 is erroneouslyfed into the U-shaped groove 207 a, the piston-cylinder assembly 219 isexpanded by operating a predetermined button on the operation board 204a, and the bar material B1 is then easily taken out of the U-shapedgroove 207 a. That is, when the piston-cylinder assembly 219 isexpanded, the rod 219 a thereof is moved upward and the bar material B1is pushed upward to the groove opening portion of the U-shaped groove207 a by the operation of the guide lever 217 a. According to suchoperation, an operator easily returns the bar material B1 on thematerial rack 208.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, the support portion 207 includes an uppersupport section 220, on its upper side, for opening or closing theU-shaped groove 207 a from the groove opening side thereof. The uppersupport section 220 is actually a lid member having substantially aU-shaped groove symmetric with the support portion 207. This uppersupport section 220 is supported to be rotatably to the support shaft218 supporting the guide lever 217 by using a support arm 220 a. In thisembodiment, the groove opening of the U-shaped groove 207 a is opened orclosed in association with the vertical movement of the feed pipe 213 bymeans of piston-cylinder assembly, not illustrated, for elevating thefeed pipe 213.

Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the upper portion of the barfeeder 208 is covered by open/close lids 221 a and 221 b. When the barmaterial B1 pushed upward on the U-shaped groove 207 a by the guidelever 217 is returned on the material rack 208, the open/close lids 221a and 221 b are opened.

Next, the operation of the bar feeder of the structure mentioned abovewill be described hereunder.

(1) At the time when the bar material B1 is fed in the U-shaped groove207 a of the support portion 207, the piston-cylinder assembly, notillustrated, is driven so as to move upward the upper support section220 as illustrated in FIG. 20A and then to open the groove opening ofthe U-shaped groove. At the same time, the feed pipe 213 illustrated inFIG. 19 is moved upward above the U-shaped groove 207 a.

(2) Next, as illustrated in FIG. 20B, the piston-cylinder assembly 212of the material rack 208 is operated to raise the push-up member 210 soas to push up the leading bar material B1 by the projection 210 a formedto the front end thereof. The pushed-up bar material B1 rides over thestopper 209 a as indicated with the two-dot-chain line and rolls towardthe stopper 209 a on the material rack 208 and then stops there.

On the groove opening side of the U-shaped groove 207 a, the guide lever217 pushed-up by the rod 219 a of the piston-cylinder assembly 219waits. The rolling bar material B1 is received by the bent portion 217 aof the guide lever 217.

(3) Then, as illustrated in FIG. 20C, the rod 219 a of thepiston-cylinder assembly 219 is lowered. The guide lever 217 receivingthe bar material B1 moves from the groove opening portion toward thegroove bottom side, and gently transfers the bar material B1 inside theU-shaped groove 207 a. Accordingly, the feeding of the bar material B1inside the U-shaped groove 207 a is safely performed.

Subsequently, the motor 215 is driven positively, and the primary feedmember 216 is moved forward by the travelling of the endless chain 214.The primary feed member 216 pushes forward the bar material B1 over thefront end of the feed pipe 213. Thereafter, the endless chain 215 isdriven so as to move backward, and the primary feed member 216 isreturned to the original position and stopped there.

(4) According to the operation of the piston-cylinder assembly, notillustrated, the upper support section 220 is lowered as illustrated inFIG. 20D, and the groove opening of the U-shaped groove 207A of thesupport portion 207 is closed. At the same time, the feed pipe 213 islowered into the U-shaped groove 207 a and stopped there. The couplingarm 213 a of the feed pipe 213 is connected to the primary feed member216 and the endless chain 214.

(5) Thereafter, the motor 215 is driven positively and the endless chain214 travels in one direction. The feed pipe 213 moves forward in theU-shaped groove 207 a toward the lathe (203) side to push the front endof the bar material B1 toward the spindle (203 a) side of the lathe 203.

The spindle 203 a grasps the front end of the bar material B1 and cutsout products from the front end side of the bar material while beingrotated. During this process, the feed pipe 213 supports the rear end ofthe bar material B1, preventing the vibration of the bar material B1.

When the cut-out operation to the products is repeated and the barmaterial B1 is consumed, the motor 215 is reversely driven and theendless chain 214 is reversely travelled. According to such operation,the feed pipe 213 moves backward in the U-shaped groove 207 a, releasesthe remaining bar material, and returns to the original position.Thereafter, a succeeding new bar material B1 is fed from the materialrack 208 by the same operations as those mentioned above, and this newbar material B1 is also cut out so as to provide products.

(6) In the above step (3), if the bar material B1 is erroneously fedinto the U-shaped groove 207 a, a predetermined switch of the operationboard 204 is operated by an operator.

According to such switching operation, the piston-cylinder assembly, notillustrated, is operated so that, as illustrated in FIG. 21A, the uppersupport section 220 closing the groove opening of the U-shaped groove207 a of the support portion 207 is rotated upward as illustrated inFIG. 21B, and the groove opening of the U-shaped groove 207 a is openedto expose the bar material B1. According to this operation, the feedpipe 213 is also moved upward.

(7) Next, as illustrated in FIG. 21C, the piston-cylinder assembly 219is operated. The rod 219 a thereof is then moved upward and the guidelever 215 is rotated upward. According to this operation, the barmaterial B1 is pushed out of the U-shaped groove 207 a.

(8) As indicated with the two-dot-chain line in FIG. 21D, the barmaterial B1 is returned onto the material rack 208 by, for example,rolling the bar material B1 on the material rack 108 from the bentportion 217 a of the guide lever 217 by the operator.

Sixth Embodiment

As illustrated in FIGS. 22A and 22B, in this embodiment, the arm 217 bof the guide lever 217 and the support arm 220 a of the upper supportsection 220 are fixed by means of the same support shaft 218 so as to berotated integrally. In FIGS. 22A and 22B, reference numerals 222 and 223denote fixing screws for fixing the arm 217 b of the guide lever 217 andthe support arm 220 a of the upper support section 220 to the supportshaft 218, respectively.

According to this structure, after receiving the bar material B1 by theguide lever 217 on the groove opening side of the U-shaped groove 207 a,the piston-cylinder assembly 219 is contracted so as to be moved on thegroove bottom side, and the U-shaped groove 207 a is closed by the uppersupport section 220. On the other hand, when the piston-cylinderassembly 219 is expanded, the guide lever 217 is moved from the groovebottom side toward the groove opening side of the U-shaped groove 207 a,and the groove opening of the U-shaped groove 207 a is opened by theupper support section 220.

Like reference numerals are added to elements or portions correspondingto those in the fifth embodiment, and the description thereof is omittedherein.

Seventh Embodiment

In this seventh embodiment, the guide lever 217 is maintained in itslowered state as illustrated in FIGS. 20C and 20D at the time of feedingthe bar material B1 illustrated in FIGS. 20A and 20B. The guide lever217 is operated so as to be moved upward only at the time when the barmaterial B1 is erroneously fed into the U-shaped groove by a controlmiss of the operator.

That is, in the case of feeding an erroneous bar material B1, thepredetermined switch of the operation board is operated by the operator.

According to such switching operation, the piston-cylinder assembly, notillustrated, is operated so that, as illustrated in FIG. 21A, the uppersupport section 220 closing the groove opening of the U-shaped groove207 a of the support portion 207 is rotated upward as illustrated inFIG. 21B, and the groove opening of the U-shaped groove 207 a is openedto expose the bar material B1. According to this operation, the feedpipe 213 is also moved upward.

Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 21C, the piston-cylinder assembly219 is operated. The rod 219 a thereof is then moved upward to rotateupward the guide lever 215. According to this operation, the barmaterial B1 is pushed out of the U-shaped groove 207 a.

As indicated with the two-dot-chain line in FIG. 21D, the bar materialB1 is rolled, for example, on the material rack 108 from the bentportion 217 a of the guide lever 217 by the operator. According to thisoperation, the bar material B1 is returned on the material rack 208.

Although the invention has been described above by reference to certainembodiments of the invention, the invention is not limited to theembodiments described above. Modifications and variations of theembodiments described above will occur to those skilled in the art, inlight of the above teachings. The scope of the invention is defined withreference to the following claims. For example, in the above fifth,sixth and seventh embodiments, the bar material pushed out on theU-shaped groove by the guide lever is returned on the material rack bythe operator. The bar material may be, however, returned on the materialrack automatically by mounting an actuator such as piston-cylinderassembly to the guide lever.

Furthermore, in the fifth embodiment, the guide lever is moved upwardafter opening the upper support section, but the guide lever and theupper support section may be simultaneously operated to shorten theworking time.

Still furthermore, in the sixth embodiment, the piston-cylinder assemblyfor vertically moving the guide lever may be eliminated, and the guidelever may be hence operatively associated with the upper support sectionby the piston-cylinder assembly for vertically moving the upper supportsection.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the vibrationattenuation mechanism absorbs vibrations of the feed rod, preventing thefeed rod from vibrating.

In the second aspect of the invention, the flow path allows a fluid toflow between the first and second fluid reservoirs, uniformly dispersingthe fluid into the first and second fluid reservoirs, thus improvingvibration prevention effect of the feed rod.

In the third and fourth aspects of the invention, the adjustingmechanism displaces the stopper or cylinder to adjust an angle betweenthe first and second roller members in accordance with the size of thematerial, achieving vibration stop of materials having different sizes.

The fulcrum shafts of the first and second roller members support theupper lid of the support portion to be rotatable, achieving a smallersized and manufacturing cost reduced device.

The roller is radially displaceable, allowing materials with differentsizes to be centered to the roller, thus achieving appropriate vibrationstop of the materials.

In the fifth aspect of the invention, when the bar material is falselyfed in the U-shaped groove, the guide lever easily and quickly takes outthe bar material from the U-shaped groove of the support portion.

In the sixth aspect of the invention, the guide lever allows the barmaterial to be fallen into the U-shaped groove of the support portion,thereby preventing an impact force from acting on the support portion,preventing a noise from being produced.

In the seventh aspect of the invention, the guide lever allows the barmaterial to be quietly fallen in the U-shaped groove, thereby preventingan impact force from acting on the support portion, preventing a noisefrom being produced. When the bar material is falsely fed into theU-shaped groove, the guide lever easily and quickly takes out the barmaterial from the U-shaped groove.

The upper support portion for opening and closing the U-shaped groove ofthe support portion prevents the bar material from dropping out from theU-shaped groove. The support portion is cooperated with movement of theguide lever moving, and both the driving portions are integrated,simplifying the structure of the bar feeder.

The integration of the upper support portion and the guide lever and thecommon actuator allow the structure of the bar feeder to be simplified.

1. A feed rod vibration prevention support of a material feedercomprising: a guide device for guiding a feed rod moving to feed amaterial to a working machine; and a fluid supply system for feeding afluid to the feed rod and for allowing the fluid to flow through theguide device, the guide device including a support guide, plural bushessupported by the support guide, the plural bushes being spaced from eachother and having the feed rod placed thereon, and plural elasticmaterials spaced from each other and located on the support guidebetween respective ones of the plural bushes and the support guide, atleast one bush of the plural bushes having a first elastic material ofthe plural elastic materials with a contact surface contacting a contactsurface of the support guide, and the fluid supply system includingfluid reservoirs located on the support guide and defined by neighboringones of the plural bushes and the plural elastic materials, and a fluidpath between the support guide and the at least one bush, the fluid pathextending between neighboring ones of the fluid reservoirs partitionedby the at least one bush and the first elastic material, the fluid pathbeing a hole that is defined by the contact surface of the support guideand the contact surface of the first elastic material and connectingsaid neighboring ones of the fluid reservoirs, wherein the fluid flowsbetween the neighboring ones of the fluid reservoirs through the fluidpath between the support guide and the at least one bush.
 2. The feedrod vibration prevention support of a material feeder according to claim1, further comprising: a vibration attenuation mechanism for preventingthe feed rod from being vibrated, and wherein the at least one bushincludes a flanged portion.
 3. The feed rod vibration prevention supportaccording to claim 1, further comprising a base supporting the guidedevice, wherein the vibration attenuation mechanism includes a secondelastic material located between the base and the guide device.
 4. Thefeed rod vibration prevention support of a material feeder according toclaim 1, wherein the at least one bush is curved about a center linethereof, and wherein the flanged portion extends from the at least onebush over the center line.
 5. The feed rod vibration prevention supportof a material feeder according to claim 1, wherein one of the supportguide and the first elastic material is cut out to define the fluidpath.